News Brief. Free ORCA card deadline extended

The ORCA partnership just announced that their no-fee ORCA card promotion will be extended through February. Due to high demand, the transit card fee will continue to be waived through February 28. Starting March 1, 2010, a standard adult or youth ORCA card will cost $5. The promotion had been scheduled to end on January 31.

What is happening to the PugetPass?

Starting January 2010, the PugetPass will no longer be available to the general public for purchase. The new electronic ORCA card (see below for more information on ORCA) will replace it as a transit pass by letting you purchase and “load” the same monthly amount as a PugetPass on the card. At the end of each month, instead of buying a new monthly pass, you simply reload your ORCA card over the internet, go to one of the ORCA outlets, or use a Sound Transit fare dispensing machine in the Puget Sound region. Please note that this new ORCA card cannot be accepted as fare payment on local Intercity Transit service. To find current locations of ORCA card services and outlets please contact ORCA Customer Service: 1.888.988.6722 or on-line www.orcacard.com.

What if I am currently using a PugetPass?

You can continue to use a PugetPass on either Intercity Transit or Pierce Transit Express service through the end of 2009. A couple of monthly pass denominations are also good on local Intercity Transit service. However, that will end as the sale of the PugetPass to the general public ends with the December 2009 PugetPass.

Please note that customers who receive a PugetPass through an employer based program or service agency may be able to continue to use the pass for a period of time. If this applies to you, please contact your employer for details. The transition from this type of PugetPass to an ORCA card is expected to be completed by June 2010.

When will Intercity Transit start accepting the ORCA card?

Beginning January 2010, an ORCA card with a monthly pass “loaded” on it will be accepted as fare payment on Intercity Transit’s Olympia Express Routes 603 and 620. Until Intercity Transit buses are equipped with card scanning equipment, the ORCA card will initially be accepted as a “flash card.” You simply show the card to the bus operator as you board your bus.

It is expected that card reading equipment will be installed within the next few months, which will then allow the full use of the electronic card including “e-purse” and transferring between Intercity Transit's Olympia Express service and Pierce Transit or Sound Transit service.

During this transition, ORCA cardholders using Routes 603 or 620 will need a monthly pass product on the card equal to or above the Olympia Express monthly pass price of $90 for adults or $45 for reduced fare riders. ORCA cards with only an “e-purse” cannot be accepted at this time on these routes. Riders will need to either pay a cash fare or use one of the other Intercity Transit fare media (ticket, monthly pass or daily pass) that are available. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause but, until the card scanning equipment is installed, we are limited to what we can accept with the new ORCA card system.

Please be aware that the ORCA card readers will not be used at this point in time on local Intercity Transit service within Thurston County. Intercity Transit’s own fare payment media – tickets and passes - will continue to be available for purchase and use.

Will there be ORCA sales outlets in Thurston County or at Intercity Transit?

Selling of ORCA cards and loading them by Intercity Transit Customer Service office is still under consideration. However, equipment is not expected to be available until later in 2010.

An ORCA card can be easily obtained now via internet (www.orcacard.com) or by calling ORCA Customer Service: 1.888.988.6722. The card can also be loaded with value online at www.orcacard.com, over the phone, by mail, and at Sound Transit ticket vending machines. The standard ORCA card is available now at no charge but, starting February 2010, a $5 card fee will be charged for a standard ORCA card.

Current Regional Reduced Fare Permit (RRFP) holders can exchange their valid RRFP at any time for a new ORCA RRFP card at no charge. If you are applying for a new ORCA RRFP card, it will cost $3.

Intercity Transit’s own fare media will not change. All of our current fare media remains in use: Cash; Daily Pass; Adult, Youth and Reduced Fare Intercity Transit Monthly Passes; Tickets; Regional Reduced Fare Permit; the Star Pass for state employees, the TC Rider Pass for Thurston County employees, and student passes for The Evergreen State College and South Puget Sound Community College.

I ride the Olympia Express now. How should I pay my fare?

For the rest of 2009, you can continue paying your fare using your usual method (cash, monthly pass, ticket or transfer) on either Intercity Transit or Pierce Transit Olympia Express service. However, starting January 2010, the current PugetPass for general public use will end. The last month you can purchase a PugetPass will be for December 2009.

The current use of specific local fare media (tickets, passes) as fare payment on both Intercity Transit and Pierce Transit Olympia Express service will remain unchanged. It is expected to remain that way in 2010.

Riders who currently use Pierce Transit’s Olympia Express service (Routes 601 and 603A) may want to consider getting an ORCA card now. ORCA is accepted on all Pierce Transit service as well as being valid on Sound Transit, King County Metro, Kitsap Transit, Community Transit, Everett Transit and the Washington State Ferries.

What is ORCA?

“One Regional Card for All” – ORCA – is a new regional public transportation fare payment system that provides transit customers a reloadable “smart card” that can be used for years. Functioning much like a debit card, ORCA can perform like a monthly pass, act like a money purse, or do both.

ORCA is currently installed and working on seven Central Puget Sound transportation systems including Pierce Transit, Sound Transit, King County Metro, Kitsap Transit, Community Transit, Everett Transit and the Washington State Ferries.

Starting January 2010, Intercity Transit’s Olympia Express service, which operates between Olympia/Lacey and Lakewood/Tacoma, will also start accepting ORCA cards that have a monthly pass loaded onto the card.

ORCA cards are available in Adult, Youth and RRFP cards. The ORCA partnership announced that their no-fee ORCA card promotion will be extended through February. Due to high demand, the transit card fee will continue to be waived through February 28. Starting March 1, 2010, a standard adult or youth ORCA card will cost $5. The promotion had been scheduled to end on January 31. There are a number of locations throughout the Central Puget Sound area to get the card or you can order over the web or by phone. Please contact ORCA Customer Service: 1.888.988.6722 or on-line www.orcacard.com.

How do you add value to an ORCA card so you can use it?

The current ORCA card can be set up to accommodate two separate fare functions or a combination of both:

1. ORCA “PugetPass”: Use it as a monthly pass. If you commute or ride regularly, a monthly pass will save you money over paying a cash fare each time you ride. The monthly pass costs are based on the current PugetPass denominations and zones. It will also function as an electronic fare transfer between transit routes or between transit systems. Until ORCA card readers are installed this will be the only type of ORCA card accepted on Intercity Transit’s Olympia Express service.

    

2. E-purse: Load a cash value of up to $300 on the card (the minimum amount is $5). If you’re not a frequent rider, want to transfer between routes or transit systems or occasionally switch modes, say between a bus and a commuter train, this replaces the need to carry cash or exact change. The system will automatically deduct the transfer or cash value of your ride. You can add money to this e-purse at any time via the internet or at transit customer service centers in the Central Puget Sound area. This portion of the ORCA card though cannot be accepted on Intercity Transit’s Olympia Express service until the buses are equipped with card readers.

You can load value – a monthly PugetPass or e-purse cash - on your ORCA card at a number of locations in the Central Puget Sound area including Pierce Transit Bus Shops. You can also go online at www.orcacard.com, over the phone, by mail, and at Sound Transit ticket vending machines. For more details about the ORCA fare system or to find the location of ORCA card services and outlets, contact ORCA Customer Service: 1.888.988.6722 or on-line at www.orcacard.com. If you have additional questions or need assistance with Intercity Transit service please, contact Intercity Transit Customer Service at 360-786-1881 or customerservice@intercitytransit.com.

Where can I get more information about the new ORCA card?

ORCA Customer Service: 1.888.988.6722 or on-line at: www.orcacard.com. TTY Relay: 711.1.888.889.6368. For non-English interpreter services, call 1-800-823-9230. You can also contact any of the seven ORCA partners for information as well. These are: Pierce Transit, King County Metro, Kitsap Transit, Sound Transit, Community Transit, Everett Transit and the Washington State Ferry System.